Category: Highly Recommended by Powerpopaholic

Cliff Hillis and Dropkick

powerpopaholic

Cliff Hillis “Love Not War” EP

Cliff is back! Another EP loaded with excellent songs. The catchy title track is finely crafted gem that works on several levels in the pristine production. The follow up “The Buddha’s Belly” has a little honky-tonk styling that just encourages spontaneous dancing. From there the styles shift from folk pop (“Don’t Drown The Wind”) to mid tempo power pop (“Mayor Of Midnight,”) each song a worthy gem that deserves repeat listens. Of course highly recommended, so pick it up!

Itunes

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Dropkick

Dropkick “Balance The Light”

The prolific Scottish band formed by brothers Andrew and Alastair Taylor and friend Ian Grier continues to develop some of the best pop on its latest album. The bands influences include The Jayhawks, The Byrds, and Wilco with a West Coast easy going sensibility.  “Save Myself” is a slow mellow confessional that beautifully opens up mid-way through the song to an instrumental cacophony. The tempo stays the same on the excellent ballads “I’m Over It” and “I Wish I Knew.”

The album theme is a meditation on sadness after a breakup, “Where Do You Think I Went Wrong?” continues the relationship post-mortem. “Out Of Love Again” is a highlight with its jangling guitars and sharp harmonies. Another gem is “Homeward,” with its Neil Young-like melody, and the most upbeat song here “Slow Down” compares well with Teenage Fanclub. Despite it being a somber listen, the compositions are well written. Highly Recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

The Labradors and Wild Feathers

powerpopaholic
Brett Harris

Labradors “The Great Maybe”

Three-piece powerpop/rock band from Milano, Italy have their second full length album out and it’s an impressive production. The quiet acoustic guitar ballad “I Won’t Let Anyone Hurt You” is a gentle poem to a “delicate creature” with dramatic swelling strings. The title track then swirls with guitars and drums similar in feel to Sloan or Weezer with harmonies in the chorus. “Jasmine” is even a touch harder, with lead Fabrizio Fusi sounding like Evan Dando here, and a nice bass guitar lead.

It quiets down considerably after this, but “Terrible Friend” is a heart-felt rocker about a mate who can’t get sober, and “All I Have Is My Heart” does the quiet verse-loud chorus thing quite nicely and both are winners.  The cat lovers theme “Paws” is another gem that will put a smile on your face for sure. Overall, the songs here are solid power pop and most of them are very good. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

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The Wild Feathers

The Wild Feathers “The Wild Feathers”

Austin band The Wild Feathers is something both old and new. Ricky Young, Joel King, Taylor Burns, Preston Wimberly, and Ben Dumas grew up steeped in music – playing solo gigs, touring with local bands and working at venues. The guys came together in Austin in 2010 through coincidence, mutual friends, and a shared love of classic alt-country and southern rock. The young band spent the following year writing and reshaping their sound before heading into the studio to record with producer Jay Joyce (Cage the Elephant, Emmylou Harris).Their debut has a great mix of power pop and modern country music in parts with its dense, layered production.

To read more – check out the full review on BlogCritics.org

Amazon

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Butch Young and Le Super Homard

powerpopaholic
Brett Harris

Butch Young “Mercury Man”

Singer-songwriter Butch Young’s (self-released, home-recorded) album is an admirable DIY effort that is sure to warm the hearts of power pop lovers everywhere. With his collaborator Matt Lee on guitar and bass, Young is similar in spirit to early Paul Steel by crafting layered space mini-symphonies that are part baroque, bubblegum and bittersweet.

Opening with the title track, its a slow relaxing opener with Lee’s blistering solo and then “Persephone” with its yearning slide guitar is very much influenced by Jeff Lynne. Young’s vocals are a little nasal, but once you are accustomed to it “One Foot In” showcases some great multi-tracked harmonies a la Beach Boys. The charm and musicianship will easily win you over as “Dime Store Jesus” and “Child of Nature” does a soft shuffle with its light pop melodies. No real filler here, but the album’s tempo rarely varies, and the only guitar solos appear on the first and last tracks of the album. Still its a wonderful debut and is highly recommended.

Amazon | Kool Kat Musik

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Le Super Homard

Le Super Homard “Maple Key” EP/Vinyl

The Mega Dodo label is one of the leading progressive neo-psychedelic labels out there and this new release is worth seeking out. Le SuperHomard is Christophe Vaillant (guitars and keyboard), Pandora Burgess (vocals) and Olivier Vaillant (drums and bass). The rich textured instrumental intro gives way to dreamscape which is influenced by Air and Fugu1.

The light dreamy late ’60s mood permeates the album and the electronic rhythms are subtle till the finale “From My Window.” “On A Sofa” floats along, “Bituminized” is a simple melody much like The High Llamas recent work, and when Burgess vocals are added it takes “Dry Salt In Our Hair” to a more danceable place. Fans of space lounge music will find much to love here.

Amazon (import vinyl) | MegaDodo

B-Leaguers and The Miamis

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B-Leaguers

B-Leaguers “Death of A Western Heart”

James Styring (The Popdogs) forms a new band with a harder edge and a thicker guitar sound. The title track refers to the loss of the past, and James slowly builds the song from a simple bass line to a riff driven rock anthem where eventually “you come back to where you start.”

“Amnesia” has a punk energy that keeps the song afloat and  “Numbers” has a neo-metal riff alongside its chiming guitar rhythm section. It keeps to the standard pop-punk rock until we get to the excellent “Lemonade” with its frantic harmonies and faster tempo. Definitely worth checking out.

Kool Kat Musik

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Scott Warren

The Miamis “We Deliver”

It’s hard to believe, but there are still “lost” bands out there that never made it to the limelight in the classic rock era.The Miamis were an active part of the ‘70s New York club scene, playing at CBGB, Max’s Kansas City and the Mudd Club. They headlined shows alongside Blondie, the Ramones and New York Dolls, but the lack of a recording contract kept the Miamis forever in obscurity. They did record a self-released album, but the industry execs at the time dubbed them “too punk for pop, too pop for punk.” I don’t hear any punk, but the energy and melodies clearly belong to power pop, so fans of The Knack, The Raspberries and Rubinoos will really enjoy this.

The infectious melody on “We Deliver” is unmistakable, and could easily be mistaken for a Rubinoos single. “Cry Baby” is like early Ramones with horns, and “Dancin’ Together” is like T-Rex playing an NRBQ hit. You can hear some Todd Rundgren influence in “I Want A Girlfriend” and  “Just Too Many People In The World.” You then realize that the Miamis were not so easy to categorize. The live songs are also where this band really shines, with a bluesy “That’s Life” capping 23 total tracks. Don’t miss this slice of lost power pop history. Highly Recommended.

Amazon

Brett Harris and Kerosene Stars

powerpopaholic
Brett Harris

Brett Harris “Up In The Air”

North Carolina pop auteur Brett Harris was part of the touring band for both Big Star and the dB’s and now he’s released his newest solo effort. “End of the Rope” is an inspirational theme with great supporting guitar riff that does recall The Beatles and Big Star at times. “Don’t Look Back” is an easy going mid-tempo song with a hint of sadness within its rich strums. “Lies” is a good example of how a slow dirge takes a whimsical jazz turn in the break before it continues, it’s a delicate balance of old and new influences.

“Out of The Blue” is another signature song with strong blues flourishes and orchestral sweep – its both a catchy and satisfying melody. Both “High Times” and “Rumor” have folk blues and soul elements that are perfectly arranged into the rock format. The title track is another standout, it has a 70’s California country guitar melody that’s part Nilsson and part Mike Nesmith. The song has the feel of the open road with the lyric “Why should I care whatever which way the wind is blowing ‘cause we make our home wherever our feet hit the ground.” Overall no duds here as each song shines, and its highly recommended.

Amazon

 

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Kerosene Stars

Kerosene Stars “Don’t Believe in Miracles” EP

Chicago band Kerosene Stars are Scott Schaafsma (bass, vocals), Andy Seagram (guitar, backing vocals), Yoo Soo Kim (viola, keyboards), Jim Adair (drums), and Tom Sorich (percussion). The band excels creating simple, catchy melodies on top of a solid backbeat, Burn The Evidence is the first of 3 EPs for 2016.

“Don’t Believe in Miracles” starts with a solid jangle and classic chord shifts is bolstered by Scott’s strong vocal. “Burn The Evidence” has a European styled vibe with some new wave accents, shifting around never settling in predictability. After the bossa nova lounge style of ”Alice,” it settles into late 70’s styled pop with “Talk Talk” and its sweet guitar solo. This is a band that makes you take notice with both its musicianship and songwriting, so keep an eye on them!

Bandcamp